After starting the season 4-0 for the third time in pergola history, this Eagles will welcome USF for a double-header starting on Wednesday at 4 p.m. with game two scheduled at 6 p.m.
The Bulls come into this game having won four of five with their lone loss coming to #2 Florida. In the four wins, they did not score more than six runs in any game and did not win by more than three runs in any game, but nonetheless were able to defeat Illinois State, Georgia State, Michigan, and UAB.
“USF is a fantastic program,” head coach Dave Deiros said. “There always well prepared, well-coached, good athletes. I’m looking forward to an in state game.”
FGCU’s pitching has been trendies so far pitching to a .50 ERA and is led by Marissa Mesiemore, who currently is 2-0. Morgan White has pitched 10.2 innings and has yet to allow an earned run, and nearly pitched a perfect game versus Georgetown settling for the first of two one hitters this season.
Riley Randolph has one versus Ball State in her opening start where she went 5.2 allowing just one run and striking out nine. Freshmen Taylor Bauman has made an immediate impact out of the bullpen, as she is perfect this year in saves with four.
The offense is led by reigning ASUN Player of the Week, Raquel Fournet, who hit .636 over the weekend with a home run and three RBI’s. Brittany McGuire also hit.636 and, the Eagles have home runs from Ashley Swiderski and Farley Callaghan, who hit a one in her first collegiate plate appearance.
The team is hitting to a .336 team average and has eight players hitting .300 of better through the opening week of the season.
The Owls present a tough challenge to FGCU, as the Eagles have won only two games against the Bulls in 10 games. Those two wins were the first two times the programs ever met back in 2008, and the Eagles have not win since then. USF shutout FGCU three starting games until last year when the Eagles finally got on the board with two runs in a 9-2 loss.
“I think they’re a very good team, but I think we are a very good team, so it should be a pretty good game,” Fournet said.
So far this season, Georgina Corrick has made two starts and is 1-0. Kaleb “JoJo” McGill also is perfect in her two saves chances.
Offensively, Amber Atkinson leads the team with a .667 batting average with a homer and three runs driven in and Macy Cook and Cassidy Boyle have gone deep this year as well for the Bulls.
USF’s Head Coach, Ken Eriksen, who is also the coach of the 2018 USA Softball’s National Team, will be looking for win number 900 on Wednesday and will have two shots in the double header.
After these two games, FGCU will face off against Oakland on Feb. 20 in a double header before preparing to host the FGCU/ Four Points Sheraton Invitational from Feb.23-25.